1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for determining at least one parameter of a medium with at least one sensor device and at least one electronic device. The medium is, for example, a liquid or a suspension or a component of a liquid or a solution. The parameter is, for example, the protein content of a medium containing milk determined by measuring the fluorescence of the medium.
2. Description of Related Art
An exemplary device for measuring the fluorescence of a medium, in order, for example, to determine the protein content of a medium containing milk is described in the German Application DE 10 2009 020 252 A1 and corresponding U.S. Patent Application Publication 2010/0282982 A1. In the prior art, a variety of other devices for the determination of characteristic or process parameters such as level, flow rate, density, viscosity, etc. of media are known. Measuring devices used for determination are often built with a modular construction or at least have a structured design. Thus, there are usually components or units that are specific to the measuring principle and elements, which are essentially independent from them. Elements of energy supply, e.g., belong to the latter group, for conversion of the primary measuring signals, for example, into signals transferable via field buses, etc. Therefore, a substantial separation between a sensor device and an electronic device is advisable. Where appropriate, the sensor device consists of only one component interacting with the media.
Typically, the sensor device and the electronic device and any other components are housed in a housing, which allows for protection against process conditions. One problem with the interior space essentially closed by the housing and the electrical parts and components mostly generating heat is, however, that many of the components (including, in particular, components for optical applications) require a constant temperature in order to operate stably. Therefore, in particular, the heat that is generated by the parts or components must by suitably dissipated.